A Pay Cut for Telecommuting?

A widely-reported survey done earlier this year by job site Dice Holdings comes up with a somewhat perplexing result: 37% of the IT professionals they surveyed said they would be willing to take up to a 10% pay cut to telecommute. On the one hand, this seems like an obvious reaction to the spiraling cost of gasoline. But on the other, it seems like a very one-sided way to look at the economics of telecommuting.

After all, when a substantial portion of the workforce telecommutes, employers can cut down on facility and supply costs – just ask Sun, who have taken a serious look at the numbers. There’s also pervasive evidence that telecommuting increases job satisfaction, lowering recruiting costs. If telecommuting is a financial win-win, there’s no reason for workers to take a pay cut; smart employers will encourage remote work by sharing the financial benefits.